Taos Plateau Volcanic Field, Northern New Mexico
Taos Plateau Volcanic Field, moon setting, northern New Mexico. From left to right, Cerro Chiflo, Cerro de la Olla, Ute Mountain, San Antonio Mountain. The road heads west across the plateau, over the Rio Grande, with the waxing moon, and beyond into the sunset. Thanks for looking. G
Ute Mountain, Red Barn, Crescent Moon, Colorado
Ute Mountain with the red barn and crescent moon in the San Luis Valley, Colorado. I headed north to the state line and into Colorado yesterday evening. The sun and moon were setting as I drove forty-five minutes for a shoot at the dilapidated barn. Flocks of crows went where ever crows go at night and owls took up their nightly vigil in the cottonwood snags. The holes in the barn let the dusk and moonlight in. A few stray critters dodged my tires as I ran over their tracks in the twilight. Thanks for looking. G
Lone Tree, Ute Mountain, San Luis Valley
Lone tree with Ute Mountain in the vast San Luis Valley, Colorado. I can’t pass up a lone tree. I keep a folder full on my phone for future photo prospects when the elements come together. I like the animal track, probably a coyote who frequents the nearby hamlet of Mesita, Colorado. Thanks for looking. G
Ute Mountain Road, Northern New Mexico
Ute Mountain Road, Northern New Mexico. I pulled over here a couple of evenings ago for a cup of tea and to watch the rain move through the area after a day on the road photographing around northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. It was a beautiful day that ended nicely. Thanks to my friend Larry and thank you for looking. G
San Luis Valley Homestead, Colorado
San Luis Valley homestead, Colorado. A former family home on the plateau long ago deserted, currently frequented by scavengers who steal the copper wiring from the power lines and dwelling. The current owner allowed me access to the property but warned me of snakes. Consider me warned! It’s a lovely stop on my San Luis Valley photo tour, to learn the history and make some images, while pondering a bygone era. Thanks for looking. G
Ute Mountain, Tree, Clouds, Sunset
Ute Mountain, tree, clouds, sunset. Below is one of many images from my afternoon and evening drive yesterday. I was headed to the aspen groves to make some images of green trunks, new growth and rustling new leaves. The area was closed for Elk calving until July 25th. Onward! As is often the case, a carefree attitude is rewarded with sublime moments. Yesterday was a good day for an outing and some fun images like this mountain halo. Stay tuned. Thanks for looking. G
Ute Mountain, Cattle Hay Trough
Ute Mountain and a hay trough, with no cattle. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen cattle at this dispenser. It’s been here for a long time and I pass it often. It sits here somewhat lonely, forlorn looking. I’ve never stopped to photograph it, but on this day, what with the clouds, sky and all, I pulled over. I watched the shadows pass across the fields and over Ute Mountain, highlighting the feeder, dwarfed by the big sky. Black and white seemed like a good idea. Thanks for looking. G
Road G, Southern Colorado
Road G, in Southern Colorado. One of my favorite roads, not only as it’s my initial ‘G’, but because it was the road that carried me to the San Luis Valley for the first time in 1990. From Wild Horse Mesa in the east, I could look southwest to Ute Mountain, west to the Rio Grande and north through the valley to the 14,000 foot snowy peaks. And beyond, as far as the eyes could see! My parents were with me on that first trip. Every time I head into this area I carry a little part of them with me on my initial road! Thanks for looking. G
Ute Mountain, Rio Grande Gorge, Northern NM
Ute Mountain, with the Rio Grande Gorge, northern New Mexico. A quick cell phone photo on a photo tour/workshop last week. At this point the photographer I took out was flying his drone. I enjoyed having both feet on the ground but his images had a spectacular elevated perspective. I’ll see if I can share them in due course. Now I want a drone. Thanks for looking. G
Wild Rivers Recreation Area, NM
Wild Rivers Recreation Area, in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, NM. Popped in here for last but one stop on a tour last week. The clouds were chasing each other across the landscape, helping to create a wonderful depth to this vista, highlighting Ute Mountain in the background. Thanks for looking. G
Red Barn, Hole In The Roof Sunset
Red Barn, hole in the roof sunset, San Luis Valley, Colorado. I haven’t been to visit the red barn in a while, just north of Ute Mountain, there on the left. The wind can be brutal in this area with many bits of the barn scattered around the perimeter. There are more and more openings in this old building, perfectly positioned, for the sun to peer through before setting across the plateau. Thanks for looking. G
Barley Fields, Ute Mountain, Colorado
Barley fields, Ute Mountain, San Luis Valley, Colorado. Interestingly enough, “Sting” was playing in Taos on Labor Day. Too many people (8000) in a small park in town for me to want to attend. But I do like his song “Fields of Gold” and I much prefer the solitude in these fields of golden barley. I grew up surrounded by barley and wheat fields in Yorkshire, England, so this scene took me back a ways. Thanks for looking. G
Blooming Yucca, Rio Grande Gorge Rim
Blooming Yucca in Wild Rivers Recreation Area on the Rio Grande Gorge Rim. That Yucca plant from a couple of weeks ago is finally blooming. Those few cold nights and days slowed things down but now this part of the state is in a super bloom. Yuccas and Indian Paintbrush go so well together. I hope you can take the time to get outside. Or… join me on a tour, I’ll show you the beautiful locations in this corner of the state. Thanks for looking. G
Yucca Bloom, Rio Grande Gorge Rim
Yucca bloom, on the Rio Grande Gorge Rim at the Wild Rivers Recreation Area. The blooms are plentiful this year. The potential for the flowers to manifest is great, but… the Bighorn Sheep seem to enjoy yucca blooms very much. They bite the succulent heads off them and leave the rest. The evidence? Their droppings in the vicinity of a number of the plants. We’ll be back up there again tomorrow so I’ll get to do some more sleuthing. Perhaps we’ll see some flowers like these I posted from Monument Valley, Arizona As always thanks for looking. G
Sheep’s Crossing, Rio Grande, Ute Mountain
Sheep’s Crossing on the Rio Grande, is below me to the left, with Ute Mountain straight ahead, in the Wild Rivers Recreation Area of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. It’s beautiful out here on the rim of the gorge watching the early morning light reach down into the canyon. The snow melt in the high country is making for great runoff and the subsequent river rafting season. Join me on a photo tour/workshop. Thanks for looking. G
Rural Southern Colorado, Ute Mountain, Barn
Rural southern Colorado, Ute Mountain, barn. Gorgeous skies and the last snow fall across the valley. Hopefully not the last snow of the winter. This was less than a week ago. Today all the snow is gone and temps were in the mid 50’s F. The ice was gone on the lake. I was standing on the same ice a week ago. Today felt like the refreshing, first day of spring. Thanks for looking. G
